Editorial: Queensland business crying out for Covid clarity

Queensland businesses have just 40 days to prepare for the borders reopening, but first they deserve some answers, writes The Editor.

Queensland businesses have just 40 days to prepare for the borders reopening. And they don’t know what Covid trading conditions will look like.

So it is understandable they are not confident of a surge in profits thanks to the usual Christmas trade – in fact, according to the latest Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (CCIQ) Pulse Survey, businesses are downright pessimistic.

They are pleading for the government to give them clarity on four things:

GUIDELINES relating to any restrictions on businesses in relation to the vaccination status of staff and patrons;

IF THE Queensland Government contact tracing app will integrate to include vaccination status;

WHAT will happen if a business is exposed to Covid, and;

CLEAR advice on Rapid Antigen Testing for businesses

Businesses on George Street, Brisbane CBD. PICTURE: Brad Fleet

The State Government was clear on October 18 when it announced the domestic borders would reopen “no matter what” on December 17 that a plan was being worked on for businesses to give clarity on trading conditions. Businesses were promised an easing of all restrictions if they agreed to ban unvaccinated customers.

Steven Miles said at the time there would be some venues Queenslanders could go to today, that would be open only to the vaccinated from December 17.

It has been 21 days since that announcement, and there has been zero clarity on the issue. In fact, there’s only been more confusion.

First, there was going to be a separate “road map” for businesses.

“We’re just talking with businesses now about which of them might like to take up the opportunity to only have workers and patrons who are vaccinated at their venues, and those venues will be subject to the least restrictions,” Mr Miles said the day after the announcement.

“Other venues that have people who are both vaccinated and unvaccinated – they’ll continue to have some level of public health restrictions probably until we meet that 90 per cent threshold.”

Deputy Premier Steven Miles. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Two days later, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said there was no second road map for businesses. It’s largely been left in the hands of businesses to decide what they want to do – and it is not good enough.

Queensland businesses have also unleashed in the CCIQ’s report about the politicisation of the pandemic, particularly in relation to borders.

“Decision makers (are) playing a heavily bias political game around borders,” one business operator wrote. “These politicians have no skin in the game and highlight their disconnect and ignorance from the real world by decisions they are making.”

It’s hard to argue with that.

Businesses are seeking clarity on what the vaccine rules will look like after reopening. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

And it is worth noting that Ms Palaszczuk yesterday refused to be drawn on why the government is choosing to ignore Doherty Institute advice that says it is safe to open to international travellers at 80 per cent vaccinated, after previously relying on the same organisation’s modelling to keep the borders closed.

The business community has obviously lost its confidence in the State Government.

The best thing Ms Palaszczuk can do to remedy it is to announce the measures to be put in place for businesses to operate in a Covid-normal environment.

Time is running out.